Senior Bowl Notes

After a successful East-West Shrine Game week, Garoppolo accepted an invitation to play in the 2014 Senior Bowl in Mobile

It's the first time really getting to watch him. He looked impressive and like he belonged on the field. In terms of arm strength and accuracy, he would be a close second behind Fresno State QB Derek Carr. He threw every route accurately. He looked good dropping back from under center as well as throwing on time. He threw the 12 yard out and bang 8 post right out of the receivers break. He seemed to be a little on the quiet side and would like to see him be a little more vocal on the field. When he sits in the pocket, he does have a bad habit of holding the ball in one hand exposing it to rushing defenders. He also pats the ball before he throws it which takes a half second longer to get the ball out.

Not a great day on Wednesday but did not really hurt himself either. He missed some throws in passing drills, a deep post off flea flicker pass first play during Team, and was late on a pass in 7 on 7. Still solid accuracy and timing. He seems to understand/grasp everything that's going on and making Mike declarations every play. During team drills, he showed really good poise and calm in the pocket. Have not seen him get rattled as he continues to look like a legitimate NFL QB prospect.

Garoppolo finished six for 11 for 32 yards during Saturday's game.

Pros

Poised and accurate passer.

Strong enough arm to make all of the throws.

Plays fast, makes good quick decisions and gets the ball out before receivers turn around.

Quick release and can adjust arm angles to make touch throws around and over defenders.

Quick feet and balanced footwork.

Very accurate deep ball thrower especially to his right.

Can fit the ball in tight windows on short and intermediate routes.

Smart and understands reading defenses and hitting quick hot throws into the blitz.

Great pump fake and quick reload can manipulate and move defenders.

Will hang in the pocket until the last second, take a hit and deliver accurate pass.

Excellent screen game thrower and play action faker.

At Senior Bowl showed he has confidence and looked very solid passing the football.

At Senior Bowl also displayed he is a leader, taking charge and picking up the pro-style offense rather quickly.

Has a Favre/Romo like quality of making something positive happen if a play breaks down.

Enough foot speed to scramble and pick up first downs when routes are covered down field.

Cons

Poor ball security: sometimes holds the football loosely in one hand in the pocket risking getting stripped by defensive linemen.

Sometimes has a bad habit of patting the ball before he throws resulting in late throws.

Will hold onto the football too long and take some unnecessary sacks.

Average speed and agility, not going to outrun or make too many defenders miss.

Struggles with accuracy on deep passes throwing to his left.

Will force some throws into heavy coverage.

Can lock onto receivers at times missing hot throws or open receivers.

Late on fade throws in the red zone often throwing out of bounds.

Competed at the FCS level, and may have some difficulty adjusting to NFL-type speed and smaller passing windows.

Report

In the Northern Illinois game, Garoppolo started the game strong hitting some nice throws for touchdowns and giving his team an early lead against a bigger opponent. He made a couple of errant throws for interceptions and also held onto the football too long taking some sacks which allowed Northern Illinois to come back. Garoppolo still made some impressive throws, showing off his pump faking ability, as well as showing he has tools and skills to be an NFL quarterback.

Against Tennessee State, Garoppolo made good, quick decisions, showed great footwork, and got the ball out accurately and on time. The couple of errors he did have were a result of holding onto the ball in one hand, patting it and throwing late in coverage for an interception. He also under threw a fade to his left in the red zone that should have been intercepted. However, he still made strong, accurate throws, showed an impressive ability to extend a handful of plays with his feet and made positive plays that led his team to a decisive victory.

The Eastern Kentucky game Garoppolo had another solid performance, in particular hitting go routes on the money to his right for a couple of touchdowns. He consistently made big throws on 3rd and 4th downs and hung in against the blitz, all the while taking some hits and making some big throws. In addition, he had a nice scramble and throw for a touchdown, as well as some throws negotiating around defenders reminiscent of Brett Favre or former EIU grad Tony Romo. However, he showed some things that need improvement in his game. He was late three times throwing tight red zone fade routes that all were late and out of bounds. That said, Garoppolo still showed he has the skill set to be an NFL quarterback and he continued to put it on display this game.